Page 49 of Rescuing Brinley

“No! He would never hurt me. What if I’m no good at it?”

“Honestly, you won’t be your first time. No one is. But I have a feeling Dash will be happy to take the reins. Show you what to do. All you have to do is follow his lead.”

“I guess I can do that.”

“Of course you can. Right, so…now I have to come tonight. You clearly need a coach. I’m thinking tonight is your night.”

“Is it too soon? We’ve only been dating for a month.”

“The thing I’ve learned is that there is no ‘right’ timetable for being intimate with someone. Do what you want, when you want.”

“I…I think he’s the one, Cypress. And that scares the crap out of me. What if he doesn’t feel the same? What if he just feels sorry for me?”

“That man does not feel sorry for you. He wouldn’t call and text you every day if he did. He wouldn’t be bending over backward to see you as often as possible if he did. He might send flowers and cards and shit if he was just trying to get you into bed. But he wouldn’t be coming by when he’s exhausted after a full day of working out in the field. He wouldn’t have introduced you to his teammates. He wouldn’t be integrating you into his life if all he wanted was to get laid.”

Brinley took a deep breath. She hoped Cypress was right. Her friend had a lot more experience with men than she did. “Okay.”

“Okay? You’re good?”

“I feel better, yes.”

“Awesome. Now we need to figure out what you’re going to wear tonight. You need to be casual but sexy at the same time. Make him lose the iron control he’s got when he’s around you. Tonight’s the night, Brin. I can feel it!”

“Should I pack a bag?” Brinley felt so out of her element.

“Hmmmm. I don’t think you should be so obvious. What if you put your toothbrush in your bag, and an extra pair of underwear? You can wear whatever you have on tonight home, and you aren’t going to need any PJs…hopefully.”

Brinley knew she was blushing, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t admit it to Cypress, but she was pretty sure she loved Dash. She thought about him all the time, and when he called or texted, it made her entire day. She always looked forward to seeing and talking to him, and she’d never been around someone who made her laugh as much as he did.

Being with someone in the military made her a little nervous, because the last thing she wanted to do was leave Cypress if Dash had to change bases. She forgot the official name of what it was called when the Army told a soldier they had to go somewhere new. But the thought of Dash leaving, and not being able to see him all the time, made her heart hurt.

Having sex with him would be life-changing for her, and not just because it would be her first time. Being a virgin at thirty was ridiculous, but she wasn’t ashamed of it. She’d waited partly because no one had ever expressed an interest in more than a roll in the hay with her in the past, but also because she wanted to share her body with someone she had genuine feelings for…and vice versa.

“Come on, let’s go look at your closet and see what we can find for you to wear tonight. I’m thinking a dress. A short one. Not slutty, but something classy that’ll have Dash itching to put his hands under it.”

Her cheeks warmed again but Brinley was excited about tonight. She wanted to look her best for Dash and maybe entice him to do more than just kiss her. They’d had some pretty intense make-out sessions, but she wanted more. She wanted it all.

“I think I have something that’ll work,” Brinley said. “It was a dress I had made for a client to wear in her talent competition. It’s tight on the top and has a skirt that’s flowy and swishy.”

“Flowy and swishy sounds perfect,” Cypress said with a smile. “And that’s exactly your style. Onward to your closet, woman. Let’s do this!”

Brinley smiled and found herself looking forward to the evening. Nerves turned to anticipation and excitement. Cypress was right. Once Dash realized what she wanted, he’d take the lead. All she’d have to do is follow. She couldn’t wait.

* * *

Shadow couldn’t wait to see Brinley. They’d been dating each other for a month now, and he was just as excited to see her tonight as he was on that first date. The very first thing he thought about when he woke each morning was her, and she was the last thing on his mind before he fell asleep.

He’d always had a healthy sex drive, one he took care of with his own hand these days, but recently his cock seemed to have a mind of its own. All he had to do was think about Brinley…her shy smiles, her abundant freckles, her blushes, the eager way she kissed, how happy she was to hear from him when he called…it added up to him masturbating more than he was comfortable admitting.

He wouldn’t rush her. Wouldn’t do anything to pressure her for more than she was willing to give.

But the more time he spent with her, the more time he wanted to spend with her.

He was even beginning to resent the time he had to spend out in the field, where he couldn’t talk or text her. Which was ridiculous. He loved being a Delta. Loved being with his team. Loved teaching other soldiers everything they needed to know to survive in the wilderness.

But he also loved being around and talking to Brinley. And wanted to know what she was doing at all times. What gowns she was making, how her business was doing. Wanted to make sure she was remembering to stop and eat something for lunch—because she sometimes got so engrossed in designing and sewing that she forgot.

Bottom line: Shadow was head over heels for the woman. But he’d take things one day at a time, because he didn’t want to fuck up. Didn’t want to do anything that would give her second thoughts about being with him.